Little Black Dress
by Vulthrize
Summary: It is just before Kasumi's loyalty mission, and Shepard is running around the Normandy in a tiny black dress. Ship productivity flatlines as everyone on board, even Garrus, takes notice.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello! I'd meant to get this little ficlet out much sooner, sorry! It's going to be a few chapters long, give or take, and will be a femShep/Garrus pairing. I recently played the DLC with Kasumi and wished that the crew would have made some comments if you chose to run around the Normandy in your dress as a femShep, so voila! This story takes place before Kasumi's loyalty mission, and I make the dress sound a bit skimpier for kicks. Hope you like it!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bioware.**

**Little Black Dress**

**Chapter One**

"I am _not _wearing this!"

Thus came the bewildered scoff from Commander Shepard as she glanced over the tight, tiny black dress hanging luridly on Kasumi's wall. The young soldier had put up with a lot in the past few hours. She'd actually allowed Kasumi Goto to tease her already unruly hair into what Shepard viewed as a 'lion's mane'. She even cursed her way through ungodly applications of clown-like makeup. But _this_ was the last straw.

Though the thief's features were well masked behind her dark hood, a slight smile could be detected across her rubbery lips. "It's the only way, I'm afraid," Kasumi replied with a shrug.

Shepard noted her reflection in Kasumi's large mirror and groaned. "Can't we just blow the place up?"

Kasumi's voice grew solemn. "I don't want to risk losing Keiji's black box. We've got to infiltrate his mansion. It's the only way."

Shepard frowned. "I miss my assault rifle."

"We'll stow away your weapons and armor for when the time is right." She nodded at the shimmering Saren statue beside her. "I promise I'll take good care of them."

Shepard quickly whisked around to the golden statue of her former nemesis, gritting her teeth at the object's striking resemblance. "And that's another thing! Who the hell would gladly accept a statue of _him_?" She hissed her final word.

Kasumi seemed amused by Shepard's distress and slid her arm around the statue's torso. "You like it? Pretty lifelike I'm told. It's one of my most prized possessions." She sighed happily. "I used to stare at it for hours. There's something so intense about him..." Shepard visibly scoffed as Kasumi gazed dreamily at her prize and continued. "Mr. Hock won't be able to refuse it."

"It's an abomination. It should be shot into the nearest sun."

"Ha! And to think I was thinking of giving it to you as a 'ship warming' gift."

Shepard turned to glare at the golden monstrosity one last time, before Kasumi gently unhooked the ebony dress and handed it to Shepard. "Try it on," the thief insisted, winking. "I promise not to look."

Shepard grumbled as she slipped her Cerberus uniform off and slowly inched the tight dress up her waist. It had a corset-like feel, preventing much in the way of breathing, and her breasts threatened to pop out from behind the black cloth. The bottom was no more concealing, and the backside barely covered much of anything.

Kasumi squealed as she turned to look. "Wow! You look great!"

Shepard crossed her arms stubbornly. "I feel like an idiot."

Kasumi prowled behind her like a predator about to strike. She glanced at Shepard's backside and whistled. "You've got quite a bit going on back here Shepard. Guess all that running from geth really paid off."

Shepard felt hot blood course through her cheeks and felt a sudden and intense urge to flee and change. She wondered if this was how Garrus had felt when, only hours before, Shepard had again pressed him about 'relieving stress' together. He _said _he wasn't uncomfortable with her, only perhaps nervous, and she wanted to believe that was true. She sincerely hoped he hadn't felt the same degrading emotions that now creeped through her.

At that moment, Joker chimed in over the intercom. "ETA twenty minutes to Bekenstein, Commander."

Shepard mumbled a thanks before quickly wiggling her body, trying to slide the dress back off. Kasumi approached, annoyed. "You can't take it off," she protested, "We are only twenty minutes away!"

"I am _not_ walking around the Normandy like this! I'll change in the shuttle."

"And ruin your hair and makeup? No, Shepard, you need to look perfect, and you do! Besides it's only for twenty minutes. In the meantime I'm going to get that burly fellow...Jacob, I think his name is... to help me move this statue." Shepard lifted her brow, smirking. Kasumi's jaw had practically dropped when Shepard had introduced her to him. Somehow Shepard doubted that Kasumi had so easily forgotten the Cerberus soldier's name. Besides, the Saren statue had hover controls, so Kasumi hardly needed Jacob's help moving it.

The thief waved as she turned to leave. "I'll meet you by the shuttle soon."

Shepard growled at her exit. She still needed to give Miranda and Joker instructions on what to do while she was planetside, which meant half the Normandy would see the infamous Commander Shepard in a tiny, overly revealing black dress.

"Great..."

* * *

Garrus Vakarian liked to have a plan. When he'd entered the forward batteries earlier that day, a fairly detailed schedule was already beginning to come into focus: Diagnostics in the morning, algorithms in the afternoon, and simulations in the evening.

He was in the midst of rewriting the firing algorithms for the new Thanix Cannon when Shepard crept up behind him. Sufficed to say, his encounter with the young commander was over three hours ago, and since then he'd only gotten about ten minutes of actual work done. Instead, he fiddled mindlessly with the control panel in front of him as his mind churned with thoughts of Shepard.

He tried to imagine their upcoming night together and a nervous knot twisted in his gut. How could he possibly impress the great 'Commander Shepard'? How the hell would it even... physically work? He barely knew how to properly please a turian female, let alone a human one. He couldn't be too rough, that was clear, else her supple human skin would rip and bleed. But maybe Shepard liked it rough? He uttered a frustrated curse.

He searched his memories for answers, replaying their recent meeting for the thousandth time. His arm prickled as he recalled how she had touched him. It was silly, as she had never even contacted his skin, she only clasped his armored arm. _He _was being silly, dammit! The whole idea was silly! A human and a turian, together?

So much could go wrong. What if her naked body repulses him? Or vice versa? What if he hurts her? What if they have an allergic reaction? What if she still loves Kaidan?

He shook his head, mentally banishing his worries. Maybe it wasn't _completely_ crazy. He'd certainly thought about her enough these past few years…

His thoughts were soon interrupted by a clearly excited male voice emanating from the mess hall. The man gave a shout which was so loud that his words could even be heard through the bolted doors of the forward battery. "Did you just see that? Was that _Shepard_?"

Another male voice answered, also from the mess hall. This one Garrus recognized as Jacob, and from his muffled voice, he appeared to still be chewing on his lunch as he muttered an unnecessarily long "Dammmmnnnn girl!"

A woman muttered, "What the hell…?"

Another woman added, "Who's the lucky guy?"

A young male decreed "I love this ship!"

Garrus then heard a male cry out, as if in pain. "Where did Shepard go?"

Jacob then answered, "Miranda's office!"

Finally came a calamity of metallic noises followed by Gardner's irritated voice. "Where are you all going? I spent all morning making that stew!" A small army of footsteps faded further into the bowels of the ship as Gardner desperately cried, "You guys hardly even ate it!"

This exchange was too much for the young turian. Though he usually made it a habit to avoid Cerberus crewmembers, today sounded like a notable exception. Something about Shepard was riling the crew, and he had to know what. He quickly punched in an overly long, completely unnecessary diagnostics program and slid out of his station and towards the mess hall.

* * *

By the time Garrus reached the mess hall, it was empty, save for a very annoyed Gardner. The cook was brooding behind his counter, arms crossed and curses flowing. As Garrus approached, he lifted his head in dim hope.

"Garrus," he began, his voice raising. "Here for lunch? Can't claim to be good at cooking your dextro food, but I made damned good attempt at-"

"Where's Shepard?" Garrus interrupted as he glanced around, clearly not listening to the disgruntled chef.

Poor Gardner huffed, visibly upset by his less than appreciative diners, and could only bear to point a finger towards Miranda's office.

"Thanks." Garrus walked off without another word, apparently unable to hear Gardner's 'Ungrateful lizard!' remark.

As the turian turned the corner, he found the hallway leading to Miranda's office clogged by a fleshy mass of mess hall diners. Some whispered animatedly to one another while others leaned in, ears first, in a futile attempt to eavesdrop on the scantily clad commander. Noone seemed to notice the normally reclusive turian behind them, save for Jacob.

"Garrus! Come here!" Jacob beckoned the turian over with a friendly wave of his muscular arm. Strange, Garrus thought, that his Cerberus teammate was being so cordial. They had barely said two sentences to one another since Garrus had joined the crew. Not that Jacob seemed concerned about the status of their friendship at the moment. His white teeth were exposed in a beaming smile as he continued. "Even _you_ can appreciate Shepard's new look."

The turian felt his blue blood simmer, feeling (literally) as alienated as ever, but Jacob hardly noticed as he turned towards Miranda's office and continued. "Shepard's running around in a dress. You know, what human women wear…" He slid his hands suggestively around his body.

Garrus replied dryly, "I worked on the Citadel. I know what a dress is."

Jacob didn't stop smiling, despite Garrus' annoyed response. "Yeah, well Shepard's in one. A black...teeny... weeny... skin tight-"

"Shepard's coming!" came a shout in the crowd, and the entire group pushed past Garrus like a stampede of varren as they hid back in the mess hall, hastily picking up their utensils as they pretended to eat. But Garrus was too shocked to move.

And as Shepard exited Miranda's office, Garrus was standing just outside the doors, bewildered and alone.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm writing this chapter on an old, dying laptop so I apologize for any spelling errors. I think there will be about two more chapters to go!_

**Chapter Two**

Shepard hated when Miranda gave that look.

The voluptuous XO had her hands upon her curvy hips while her blue eyes narrowed in pleasure. It was ever the look of someone with an edge, of someone with a trump card up their sleeve. When Shepard entered Miranda's office, the XO shot her that very look.

"Commander…" Miranda began dryly as her eyes fell to Shepard's small yet distinctly present cleavage, "Please don't tell me you're issuing us new uniforms."

Shepard shot her a fiery look. "It's not much worse than what you have on."

Miranda's face was still, but her eyes lost their cool confidence. Finally she asked through a low voice, "Something you wanted, Shepard?"

The commander straightened up, arms behind her back. It looked silly, assuming a militaristic posture in a dress, but Miranda didn't want to risk making another quip.

Shepard didn't appear to notice her own strange stance and continued. "As you know, this is our last mission before we recover the Reaper IFF, so I want our new ship upgrades tested while I'm away."

Miranda tilted her head, as if to say _'I figured that out already_' but she merely replied, "Yes, Commander."

The Cerberus operative expected Shepard to then turn and leave, but the commader made no movements. Instead, her lips parted slowly and uncertainly. This was to be one of those rare occasions when Shepard's voice would falter. "Do I look completely ridiculous?"

The XO grinned and shrugged. "The hair is a bit much."

"I told Kasumi that!"

"At least the dress is better than what you wore for the Ardat-Yakshi mission."

Shepard raised her hand in defense. "All I had to wear were Cerberus uniforms!"

"You could have borrowed one of my jumpsuits."

Shepard smiled. If she wore them, there would probably be extra space in the chest and butt regions. "They're not really my style. Goodbye, Miranda."

"Good luck on your mission, Commander."

* * *

Shepard was still hung up on the ridiculous nature of Miranda's suits when she left her XO's office, and she actually neglected to notice the large, dazed turian blocking her way. She continued walking, her eyes glazed in thought, until she literally bumped into poor Garrus. Shepard tripped over his large feet and had to grasp his chestplate to brace herself. Instinctively, Garrus clutched her shoulders to catch her, but as the two held one another, they both froze. Only their eyes seemed to obey their command, and they slowly looked at one another.

Garrus looked as awkward as she'd ever seen him. His hands touched her with gentle uncertainty, his pupils were wide, and his mouth was agape with his mandibles flared. It looked as if he'd been struck by a flash grenade and couldn't quite catch his bearings. And, as the turian's eyes scanned over the Commander and her newest outfit, his expression didn't change much.

Shepard muttered a "Sorry…" as she hesitantly lifted her hands off of his chest, and suddenly his body felt cold in their absence. He, too, began to slide his hands up, away from her shoulders, but for some reason, stopped just before the tips of his gloved fingers left her fleshy, naked shoulders.

Shepard in turn gave him a soft smile and brushed her hands along the length of his forearms. Her 'Commader' aura had melted with her fall, and Garrus felt his heart lurch in response. His mind screamed to speak to her; to comfort her from her fall, to compliment her appearance, to finally say something smooth and confident instead of awkward and self-conscious.

He settled on a sentence, one that might accomplish all of his goals. All he had to say was,_ 'You look good, Shepard.'_ His tongue mouth began to form the words…

"Shepard."

Someone called Shepard's name and it _wasn't_ Garrus. Without warning, Thane had appeared at the entrance of the hallway. Shepard hastily brought her hands back to her side. Garrus stifled a low curse and did the same.

* * *

Thane took a moment to scan his black eyes over Shepard's half-naked form. A satisfied smile crept up to his lips. "It appears that I was correct. You are indeed a 'Siha'," he said.

Garrus huffed. That cursed assassin managed not only to kill Garrus' intimate moment with the commander, but also managed to coolly compliment her before the turian could manage to spit out any words. Damn him!

Shepard gave an uneasy chuckle. "Thanks, I guess. I don't suppose you're ever going to tell me what a 'Siha' is one of these days?"

Thane was on a complimenting roll. "You need only know that they are exceedingly beautiful."

Shepard looked flustered and quickly changed the subject. "So… what brought you two here to see me?"

Thane replied easily, "I heard you fall and came to aid you."

Garrus rolled his eyes. Please. Chances were far greater that the drell also overheard the commotion in the mess hall over Shepard and also felt compelled to investigate. And Thane's motivations were obvious. While Garrus couldn't claim to be well versed in romance, he'd bet his best sniper rifle that all of those long glances Thane gave to Shepard on (and off) missions weren't just to cover her six.

Shepard then turned to her turian friend, asking simply, "And you, Garrus?"

Garrus blanked at her words, as if his translator had died. What was the question? About why he came to see her? He mumbled an awkward "I…err…" to buy himself some time, but it didn't work and he had to simply settle with, "I was just, uh, you know… taking a break. The forward battery gets stuffy."

Shepard smirked. "Uh huh," she murmured, obviously unconvinced. Garrus' jaw clenched. That damned drell was making him look like a bumbling fool in comparison.

Shepard then sauntered past the two, finally walking steadily in her new shoes. She turned back one last time, allowing her hair to bob and her dress to twirl. "See you two Romeos later," she cooed before she slipped into the elevator.

As Thane strode away (with an obvious kick in his step), Garrus lowered his eyes to the ground as he felt defeat clench in his gut. Why could he kill an army of mercs without a second thought, but turned to stone whenever Shepard so much as cast him a glance? He sighed. No wonder he'd never had much luck with females.

And the worst part was that this encounter was likely the last time he'd get to talk with Shepard before their 'big night' together. He'd hardly laid the groundwork for that upcoming encounter well. What if Shepard reconsiders because of his own blundering stupidity? What if she rejects him? What if she turns to Thane? He swallowed hard. He had absolutely no right to be jealous, but that last thought stung.

He plodded back to his station like an injured animal, but not before he noticed a woman materialize from nowhere. Kasumi Goto strode happily up to the turian, her eyes twinkling behind her hood as a pleased smile rose up to her cheeks.

"You know, a lot of people want to see you and Shepard together," she said. "I think I can help with that."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm out in the field (doing science!) and have been deprived of technology. Thanks again for all the kind reviews :) My plan is to add one more full chapter plus a short epilogue, so stay tuned!_

**Chapter Three**

Garrus stared blankly at the thief for several seconds, his mind scrambling like an overloaded engine. He then managed to stammer a hasty, "What are you talking about?"

Kasumi wasn't fazed.

Her dark eyes were stubbornly fixed on the turian, and her large grin didn't so much as twitch. "Oh come now, don't deny it! You and Shepard totally have a thing!"

He tried to steele his voice. "We're friends."

To his suprise, Kasumi giggled. "You two are 'friendly' alright, considering how you tell Shepard she's 'impressive' and 'perfect' _at least_ five times a mission. I counted." She patted his arm lightly, as if they'd been friends for years instead of days. "But I'll wager you're new to the whole 'human dating' thing. Lucky for you, I'm an expert."

Garrus took a wary step back. "What do want, exactly?"

She spread her arms eagerly. "To help you get the girl! You two are just _adorable_ together, and a little romance would certainly liven this ship up a bit."

A flicker of hope danced inside Garrus as Kasumi spoke. Maybe, just maybe, he could restore himself in Shepard's eyes. How he wanted that. "I'm probably going to regret this...but alright," he said.

Kasumi rubbed her hands together, ever the schemer. She wasn't lying. She had a plan.

"Good. Follow me," she said.

* * *

Joker smirked as he turned looked Shepard over. He tried his best not to let his gaze fall on her toned legs or teasing breasts.

"Damn, Commander. You don't have to get all fancy just to try and impress me."

"Laugh it up Joker," she retorted. "At least I don't constantly wear a ball cap to hide my bald spot."

"Hey! My hair's only thinning a little!"

EDI's blue orb popped up. She added, "Several hair treatment options are available on the Citadel, Mister-"

"Shut up EDI!"

Shepard rolled her eyes, as she often did when speaking to the pilot. Finally she got on topic. "While I'm away I want you to run some flight simulations. We're going after that Reaper IFF as soon as I get back, and I want us to be ready."

EDI added, "Indeed. Ship controls have been offset by approximately 5.85 percent due to recent installation upgrades."

The pilot leaned back in his chair confidently. "Pfft, you two worry too much. You're talking to the best pilot in the galaxy, remember?"

Shepard scoffed. "Nice to see you're ego is till intact after two years."

"It's true! Admiral Hackett practically cried when I left the Alliance. Yeah, that's right. As in, tears."

Shepard sighed. "Uh huh. Well work on those evasive maneuvers. I don't want to die again."

"Always gotta bring on the guilt trip, don't you?"

* * *

Kasumi smiled as Garrus gawked at her sleek room. At first glance, the thief's sanctuary appeared to be a museum of the miscellaneous; there was art, weapons, and trinkets from any and every sentient race. The turian wandered aimlessly around as the thief snuck behind her personal bar and slyly began mixing glowing alcoholic liquids.

"Come on over," she beckoned as she shook her concoction of booze. "Have a drink."

Garrus kept a safe distance from the bar. "I can't. I'm on duty."

Kasumi poured the drink anyway into a hulking glass of turian origin. Blue-green liquid swirled as it sloshed into the tankard-like cup. "Funny. I remember you telling Shepard you were 'on a break' because 'the forward battery gets stuffy'."

Garrus flinched. "You were spying on us?"

Kasumi stubbornly slid the glass towards him. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. I was just walking by and _happened_ to overhear." (A little white lie never hurt anyone!) "Now drink this. It's dextro and I'm told its magical."

"I still don't think-"

"Relax, big guy. Consider it liquid courage… for Shepard."

Garrus let out a disgruntled groan but relented. He stepped forward, grabbed the glass, and slurped it down quickly. When he set it back down on the counter, not a drop was left. Kasumi clapped her hands gleefully. "Glad you like it!"

In contrast, the turian felt about as hopeful as the now empty glass in front of him. "So was this your plan? Get me drunk?"

"Hardly! I just wanted to loosen you up a little." She slid out from behind the bar and sauntered over to her desk. She slowly opened one of its smaller drawers, and returned with a black velvet box in hand. "This is the plan." Slowly, she opened it.

Inside was a large, flashy, silver necklace.

Kasumi raised the necklace up, above her hooded head as if she worshipped it. "I want you to give this to Shepard, as a gift."

Garrus didn't seem impressed. "She'll know you gave this to me. I don't exactly keep that kind of thing on me."

The thief persisted, grabbing at his hands as she slid the glittering piece into them. "Tell her it's a family heirloom."

Garrus tried to push the necklace back into her hands. "It's not even turian jewelry!"

She, too, pushed back. "She won't know that."

He sighed, finally enclosing his fingers around the necklace with reserved acceptance. "Fine. Thanks, I think." He retreated towards the door, but not before Kasumi interjected.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Garrus shook his head. "Aren't we done here?"

She shook her index finger at him like a scolding schoolteacher. "Not by a long shot. I don't just want you to _give_ the necklace to Shepard. I want you to help her _put it on_."

He didn't follow. Shepard was a grown woman, she didn't need him to help her dress. "Why?"

"The neck's a sensitive area for us girls. This way you can help her out and get a little something in return."

"Something? Like what?"

"Action! You get to _touch_ her. And trust me, if you do what I show you, she won't forget it."

* * *

"Dammit!"

Garrus uttered that very curse for the fourth consecutive time.

Kasumi had set up the marble human bust on her desk as a 'practice dummy', and was having the turian practice connecting the back of the necklace to its stone neck. The problem was that Garrus' large hands weren't exactly ideal for handling the jewelry's dainty clasping device. Both turian and thief were growing impatient. The shuttle was scheduled to leave in ten minutes, and Garrus hadn't hooked the necklace together once.

"Be gentle," Kasumi hissed. "That bust was from my first museum job." She added sadly, "I took it on a dare from Keiji. It reminds me of him."

Garrus had long ago tuned her out. Instead, his mind tried to grasp the intricacies of necklace hooking and unhooking. He exhaled slowly, trying his best to keep his hands steady and his gaze firm. With surgical care, he brought the two ends of the silver chain together as he steadily opened the clasp…

"Got it!" he exclaimed proudly, moving quickly aside as Kasumi examined the now decorated statue.

She nodded appreciatively, as if inspecting one of her many art pieces. "Not bad. Now that it's on you have a golden opportunity. Your hands will already be near Shepard's neck..." She twiddled her lean fingers. "So gently touch her neck with both hands and move them around. She'll probably shiver. That's a good thing." She demonstrated on the marble bust. The turian watched as her teasing, gloved fingers just barely contacted the statue. Then, with elegant sweeps, she glided her fingertips around its stone neck. "You try."

Garrus did his best to mimic her languid movements, delicately tracing a semi-circle along the circumference of the bust's neck. "Er, like this?" he asked, unsure.

Kasumi smiled. "Yep. Just be careful not to jostle the necklace too much. You wouldn't want to choke poor Shepard."

Garrus angled his fingers up, so that his fingertips just barely made contact with the marble. He tried to go slower and softer.

Kasumi's onyx eyes gleamed. "Perfect. You're ready."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hello again! So this is the last full chapter of my story, but the epilogue I'm planning may end up being plenty long itself. I'm afraid my limited computer access means this chapter is a bit less polished than I'd like, but I hope you enjoy it anway. Please keep the reviews coming, I love them!_

**Chapter Four**

"No way."

Garrus' less than thrilled voice echoed throughout the hangar bay as he and Kasumi approached the sleeping shuttle.

"Stop being so stubborn," replied an annoyed Kasumi, her black eyes hard. "Are you always so convinced everything will blow up in your face?"

The turian sharply pointed to his ashen scar. "Things literally _have_ blown up in my face!"

"Relax. All I'm asking is that you wait here for Shepard. She should be down any second."

His voice grew strained. Garrus Vakarian wasn't one to plead, but he sounded close. "It'll look like I'm stalking her. I already followed her around the ship once today. That's probably enough."

Kasumi mindlessly adjusted her hood, obviously unconcerned. "Yes, yes, to Miranda's office, I remember," she answered. "But this time is different. You have a good reason for being here." She pointed to the black box suffocating beneath his gloved grasp.

"As if I could forget the damned necklace," he growled. The jewelry box groaned as he clutched it ever tighter. "I don't know what's worse- that it isn't even mine or that I can't put the damned thing on."

To his surprise, Kasumi let out a light giggle.

Garrus was taken aback. "What?"

"It's just… you're so cool and confident on missions, but with Shepard you turn to mush. It's endearing."

"Endearing. Great."

She patted his arm lightly, as if he were a charming pet. "It'll all work out, you'll see."

And with that, the thief slipped into the elevator, leaving Garrus alone to worry and wonder in the dimly lit cargo hold.

* * *

Shepard leaned back against the elevator's stolid walls, desperate to relieve her heeled feet. She had already acquired some grotesque blisters from the cursed stiletto shoes, and her wounds were growing larger and more boisterous by the second. Had she known she'd end up alone during her ride down, she probably would have considered sitting on the elevator floor.

She patted her hair down vigorously as the elevator doors opened to the hangar bay. Unfortunately, Kasumi had done a surprisingly successful job in teasing the Commander's hair in a gravity-defying manner. All Shepard ended up accomplishing was working herself into a mild rage as each strand bounced back like a spring when pushed down. She tried to inhale deeply and calm herself, but her unyielding dress denied her the space for such a action.

She exited the elevator with angry stomps and a steady stream of curses before she heard a rustle in the darkness ahead of her.

What she saw made her smile.

Garrus had clearly spent considerable time contemplating what bodily pose to make when Shepard arrived. He had finally settled with leaning his humped back against the shuttle's side and letting his arms lay casually down. It would have given him an aura and poise and self-assurance he had lately lacked around the Commander.

But when Shepard stamped angrily in, she startled the previously cool turian, and he took more than one wary step back. Now he assumed an almost defensive posture, with arms up as if to catch Shepard's fury, and pupils dilated so wide they threatened to swallow the blue of his irises.

Shepard gave a rueful grin to her friend and shook her head. "Sorry I scared you. This outfit is killing me."

Garrus attempted to regain his composure, and he tried his best to walk nonchalantly towards her. "You just surprised me, Shepard. It usually takes a swarm of Collectors to get you looking that pissed."

Shepard chuckled. "I'd rather fight Harbinger with a combat knife that spend another minute in this getup. I don't care if it's supposed to make me look 'pretty', it's damned uncomfortable."

"Ah," the turian muttered uneasily. He didn't really think Shepard looked more or less attractive, just different. Was he supposed to think she looked 'prettier'?

"So…" she continued, stepping forward (despite the protest from her feet) and closing the gap between them. "Is there something I can do for you or is the forward battery getting stuffy again?" Her eyes twinkled mischeviously.

The turian's voice faltered as her eyes bore into his. "I…uh… have something for you."

Shepard cocked her head. "For me?"

"Yeah…" He turned behind himself and reached for the jewelry box nestled atop of the shuttle. Naturally, he nearly dropped the damned thing once Kasumi left. In the end he decided to store it on the ship's roof, more to hide it from himself than from Shepard.

He clutched the box in his large, gloved hands and extended them to Shepard. He watched with nervous fascination as the Commander's small, numerous fingers peeled back his own to grab the gift. Her hands were calloused for a human, but felt strangely supple, even through the thick leather of his gloves. He couldn't quite tell if he was intrigued or aroused by the feeling of them.

The necklace seemed to glow as she opened the box, highlighting the strong features of the human female in front of him. At first the gaudy piece caused her to shake her head and smile, as if she were amused by some inside joke. Then, finally, she beamed up at her turian friend.

"Garrus…" she cooed, "You got this for me?"

The turian rubbed his neck unconsciously. He didn't like lying to Shepard. "Yeah, it's a…," he coughed uneasily, "family heirloom. I was the only child so, you know, I got it. Not that I'd ever wear it or anything."

Shepard laughed heartily. "I don't know, Garrus. I think you'd look snazzy all dressed up."

The turian quickly made a mental note that Shepard apparently liked her men well dressed. He'd have to keep that in mind when their 'big night' came around.

But he interrupted his own thoughts on how the hell that upcoming encounter was going to work and returned to the dreaded task at hand. "I could help you put it on," he suggested with a shrug, as if this were the first time the idea had entered his mind.

Shepard's sharp eyes suggested that he was quite transparent, but she played along. "Sure," she replied.

* * *

Shepard had seated herself on one of the smaller cargo crates, and Garrus hesitantly approached her backside with delicate necklace in hand. He let out a soft yet disgruntled exhale. He'd already hit an obstacle in putting the necklace on. Shepard's hair. Kasumi had forgotten to instruct him on this alien subject.

Her sea of strands were blocking the back of her neck, where the necklace was supposed to lay against. The male statue he'd been working on didn't suffer from this problem (not that he could have moved its short stone hair in any case), so he was utterly lost about what to do. Garrus' brain churned. He had two options, really. He could either try to move these strange fibers out of the way to expose the neck, or place the necklace over her hair. His gut told him to move the hair, but which way? To the right? Left? Over her head?

But, thankfully before he made any decisions, Shepard came to the rescue. "Let me get this out of the way for you," she said lightly as the grabbed a handful of hair with her right hand and brought the mass around to her shoulder. Now there was an obvious gap beneath the hair that he could slip the necklace through, and he did so eagerly. He laid the bulky front portion of the necklace across Shepard's collarbone, just like the thief had shown him, then threaded the necklace under Shepard's poofed hair until the ends met at the base of her neck.

He steeled himself. The necklace was on. Now came the hard part: Attaching it.

Shepard must have sensed his stern gaze against the back of her neck, for she said happily, "Thanks for helping me out. I can never put these damned things on."

The turian gave no response but simply thought, _You and me both. _He let out a slow exhale, consciously trying to keep his hands from shaking as he inched the necklace's backing together…

"Shit."

Garrus' wobbly fingers couldn't keep the clasp open, and he had missed the other end of the necklace by a mile. This wasn't looking good.

So he made a brusque decision. Despite the inherent forwardness of the gesture in turian culture, he yanked off his beloved gloves. Shepard turned when she heard the rustling of cloth behind her and cheerfully chirped, "Oh, the gloves are coming off. This must be serious."

"I don't have a lot of experience with jewelry," he replied. He tried his best to sound jovial, but his voice inevitably betrayed his worried frustration. A thin film of sweat started beading atop his forehead. But he forged ahead, again bringing the two ends together as he opened the clasp…

"It's on!" he exclaimed as he released the breath he'd been holding.

He almost backed away to stare at his triumph, but quickly remembered from his session with Kasumi that he wasn't done just yet. Before Shepard could remark on his triumph, he slowly traced his naked fingers around the circumference of her sturdy neck, quietly hoping that his gruffer hands would not repulse her.

They didn't. She shivered in response, and couldn't help but release a pleased sigh. She even leaned her head against his arm as his fingers inched forward. Garrus' heart felt as if it was liquefying within. He hadn't been this pleased with himself in some time.

But eventually, he forced himself to stop. He gradually lifted his fingers off of Shepard's skin and took a step back.

She then arose and turned to face him. Her face grew soft, as did her voice. "Thank you, Garrus. This was very thoughtful of you," she said in a pleased whisper. Again she approached, inching ever closer to him. They were almost touching. He gulped. He could feel her body heat, hear her small breaths, smell her unique scent...

And that was when Kasumi popped out of the elevator, with a statue-pushing Jacob in tow. The thief smiled. "Ready to go?"


End file.
